Coupling-release mechanism



w. A. GEIGER.

COUPLING RELEASE MECHANISM.

APPLICATION FILED NOV. 1, 1920.

1,429,285. 1 at t d pt- 19, 1922.

Patented Sept, 19, 1922.

warren srarss WILLIAIM A. GEIGER, Z5 CHICAGO, ILLINOIS, ASSIG-NOR '10 WILLIAM H, MINER, OF

CHAZY, NEW YORK. s

COUPLING-RELEASEMECHANISM;

Application filed November 1, 1920. Serial No. 420,879.

To aZZ whom it mag concern:

Be it known that I, VV'ILLIAM A. G'nrcnn,

a citizen of United States, residing at Chi-.

cago, in the county of Cook and State of Illinois, have invented a certain new and useful Improvement in Coupling-Release- Mechanisms,of which the following is a full, clear, concise, and exact description, reference being had to the accompanying drawings, forming a part of this specification.

This invention relates to improvements in coupler release mechanisms.

The object of the invention is to provide 15. a coupler release mechanism for the couplers of railway cars which mechanism includes a very simple, eflicient and inexpensive connector between the usual release lever and the locking pin, the connector being of such design that it may be readily applied or removed without the aid of any tools.

In the drawing forming a part of this specification, Figure 1 is a side elevation of the end portion of a railway car showing my improvements in connection with the coupler. Figure 2 is an end elevation of the connector, the elevation being taken in the direction toward the end of the car. Figure 3 is a detail perspective of one of the links employed in the connector. And Figure 4 is a top plan view of the connector shown in Figure 3.

In said drawing, the head of the coupler is indicated at 10, the same being of well known automatic type and employing a locking pin 11 in the usual manner. Said locking pin is provided with an opening or eye 12 at the top, as customary. The release lever is indicated at 13, the same having a handle 14 at the: outer end adjacent the side of the car by which it may be manipulated and an arm 15 at its inner end in line with the coupler, said arm extending out over the coupler head and having an opening or eye 16 therein disposed approximately above the locking pin, as customary. The release lever 13 may be mounted in any suitable manner on the end of the car, for instance by brackets 17 having a removable cotter pin 18 to permit the release lever be ing taken out of its supporting brackets when desired for assembling with the connector or other purposes. The improved connector, shown, comprises two links A and A, the same preferably being of like formation. Each of said links is preferably formed of round rod bars and is in the general form of an'elongated link with a lateral opening as indicated at 19 between the ends 20 and 21 of the material forming the link. The end 20 constitutes part of a relatively short arm extending at right angles to a cross member 22, the latter in turn being at right angles to an elongated arm 23 which constitutes one side of a U, the other side being formed by the arm 24 having the upper end 21 an integral portion thereof. The ends 20 and 21 are preferably slightly overlapped in a direction lengthwise of the link but it will be noted that the plane defined by the two arms 23 and 24 extends at an angle of approximately 45 to the plane defined by the two arms 20 and 23 whereby the lateral opening 19 is left as. above described.

In applying the connector, one link-as for instance the link A, has its short horizontal arm 22, threaded through the opening or eye 12 of the locking pin, it being understood in this connection that the diameter of the bar material used in forming the links is of sufficiently small diameter to permit the rounded corners of the links pass ing through the respective eyes of the locking pin and lever. The other link A is then similarly threaded'through the eye 16 of the release lever and by removing the release lever from its bearings, the two links A and A may then be hooked or linked together, it being understood in this connection that the links A and A are threaded through the respective eyes from the same sides of the openings so as to bring the main plane of one link diagonally of the other. The release lever may then be placed back in its bearings and secured to prevent accidental displacement. The links are made of sulficient length so that a certain amount of lost motion is left between them as indicated at 25 to compensate for the inward and outward, lateral, and vertical movements of the coupler without the locking pin being accidentally pulled. swinging the handle 14 of the release lever in the direction indicated by the arrow 3 the upper link A will be lifted and ulti mately engagethe lower link A so as to lift the latter and the locking pin. By overlapping the ends 20 and 21 of each link, in

As will be evident, by

the manner heretofore described, the links cannot become disassembled from the release lever or the locking pin so long as the release lever and locking pin maintain their normal relation nor can the two links become disconnected from each other. From the preceding description it Will be seen that no tools are required in applying the connector and the links may be manufactured Very easily at very small expense.

I claim:

1. In a coupler release mechanism having a locking pin provided with an opening and a release lever having an opening disposed approximately above the locking pin a connector comprising two loosely and detachably connected links, each link having a lateral opening near its end farthest from the other link, said openings adapting the two links to be detachably linked together and also to be independently threadedthrough the respective openings of the lever and locking pin all without the aid of tools.

2. In a coupler release mechanism having a locking pin provided with an eye and a release lever having an eye, a connector comprising two loosely connected links, each link embodying an elongated U with a laterally extended arm at the end of one of the arms of the U, said laterally extended arm having another short arm extending longitudinally toward said U, said laterally extended arm being angularly offset with respect to the plane'defined by the arms of the U.

In witness that I claim the foregoing have hereunto subscribed my name this 15th day of Oct, 1920.

WILLIAM A. GEIGER.

Witness CARRIE GAILING. 

